Annotated Bibliography: Sexual Violence and the Human Rights of Women in Africa

Arieff, A. (2009). Sexual violence in African conflicts. CRS. Retrieved from www.crs.gov

In this report prepared for members of Congress, Arieff presents an alarming overview of the prevalence of sexual violence against women in Africa. Arieff defines the term, sexual violence, and offers data on sexually violent acts against women in countries throughout Africa, especially in conflict areas like the Congo. Additionally, Arieff provides the reader with information on the challenges that the United Nations and the Obama Administration are currently facing when trying to prosecute those who commit sexually violent acts. This is an excellent source to utilize in the research paper when describing sexual violence in women. Further, this source will also be extremely helpful when explaining the difficulties that organizations face when helping sexually abused women in Africa.

Bell, S.R., Clay, K.C., & Murdie, A. (2012). Neighborhood watch: Spatial effects of human rights INGOs. Journal of Politics, 74(2), 354-368.

The authors, Bell, Clay, and Murdie, created a quantitative study to determine if members of human rights organizations could improve human rights performances in countries. The researchers focused their study on areas where human rights organizations are needed the most, such as Kenya and South Africa. The authors concluded that human rights organizations can improve human rights in states and countries if the organizations have the ability to move freely across borders. This article is a great source to utilize in this research paper, as it will be helpful when explaining the challenges that human rights organizations encounter when addressing human rights violations against women.

Gerntholtz, L. (2013). It’s not just about sexual violence. HRW. Retrieved from http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/04/09/its-not-just-about-sexual-violence

Gerntholtz’s article, published on the Human Rights Watch website, explains how the international community and the United Nations have taken steps to address and prosecute those people who commit sexually violent acts against women throughout the world. Further, Gerntholtz provides the reader with information on the prevalence of sexually violent acts during conflicts and war. The author determined that not enough resources are being provided for women who are victims of sexual violence. This source will be a great resource to use when describing the prevalence of sexually violent acts against women across the globe.

Gordon, J. (2012). Human rights in bioethics-Theoretical and applied. Ethical Theory & Moral Practice, 15, 283-294.

In this article, Gordon provides the reader with a background and history of human rights. The author also explains why human rights are needed and their application to people in society. The author concluded that human rights are a global concern and that they encompass many important issues throughout the world. This resource will be useful to the research paper when describing and defining human rights.

Kassea, R., Sakki, I., & Pirtilla-Backman, A. (2009). Women’s human rights violations: Cameroonian student’s perspectives. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 19, 111-124.

In this scholarly article, the authors surveyed students at four universities in Cameroon to determine their perspectives on human rights violations. The researchers asked the students questions regarding gender roles and cultural practices. The study concluded that women view more cases and practices as human rights violations than men; however, both genders agreed that genital mutilation was a major human rights violation. This is an excellent resource to utilize when explaining how culture can create difficulties for organizations that try to help violated women in Africa.

Moeckli, D., Shah, S., Sivakumaran, S., & Harris, D. (2010). International human rights law. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

In this book, authors Moeckli, Shah, Sivakumaran, and Harris give readers an overview of the history of human rights and how international laws protect the rights of people in countries across the world. The book focuses on rights that protect sexual orientation and gender identity, women’s rights, and rights of people and minorities. In addition, the authors explain how the International Human Rights Law protects women in Africa. This resource is a good source to utilize when defining the International Human Rights Law in the research paper.

Pillay, N. (2012). Establishing effective accountability mechanisms for human rights violations. UN Chronicle, 49(4), 8-11.

In this journal article, Pillay defines human rights and explains which acts against people are considered human rights violations. The author then provides reasons as to why people who violate these rights are not always held accountable. These reasons include politics, government, and state regulations, and the severity of the act against humans. Pillay determined that governments need to strategize on how to quickly and effectively prosecute and punish those people who commit international crimes since human rights violations affect thousands of victims. This source will be useful in the research paper when describing human rights and the improvements needed in these laws.

Qureshi, S. (2013). The recognition of violence against women as a violation of human rights in the United Nations system. South Asian Studies, 28(1), 187-198.

Qureshi’s research attempts to prove that violence against women is a human rights violation that continues to plague women around the world. The author determined that International Human Rights Laws have failed to protect women throughout the world from violent acts. Further, research conducted by the author revealed that the United Nations has repeatedly failed to address the issue of violence against women at several United Nations World Conferences. Therefore, the author concluded that violence against women is a serious human rights violation that needs to be further addressed at United Nations Conferences and Women’s Conventions. This resource is an excellent resource to use when describing the improvements that are needed in human rights laws to protect women from sexual violence.

Solis, G.D. (2010). The law of armed conflict: International humanitarian law in war. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.

In this book, Solis gives the reader a comprehensive overview of the International Humanitarian Law. Soltis provides detailed information on the rules of war, on what constitutes war crimes, and he gives an in-depth analysis of the principles and provisions of the International Humanitarian Law. This reliable source will be an asset when describing the International Humanitarian Law in the research paper. Further, this source will be utilized when applying the International Humanitarian Law to human rights violations against women in Africa.

UN Women. (2011). Justice for women during and after conflict. Retrieved from http://progress.unwomen.org/justice-for-women-during-and-after-conflict/

This website, sponsored by the United Nations, focuses on the progress of women around the world. The website offers data and research on sexual violence and the human trafficking of women in Africa. Further, the website gives the reader a list of human rights organizations that are currently fighting for the end of human rights violations against women. This source is an excellent resource to utilize in the research paper when describing the human rights organizations that focus on stopping violent acts against women.